Unit dosage package

ABSTRACT

An article storing and dispensing package has an enclosureforming carton that stores articles ordered in a stack. The carton has a slot in one side corner that runs along the stack and it has a short window enlarging the slot width. Resiliently pliable panels of the carton adjacent the slot and window hold the slot in a normal condition where it is too narrow for articles to pass through it. But the panels yield apart without permanent deformation or tearing, to allow removal of an article, when the article is pulled outward from the enclosure at the window.

PATENTED Am; 1 5 I972 SHEET 2 OF 2 Fig.8

iii?

ATTORNEYS PATENTEDAUB 15 I972 SHEET 2 BF 2 IN VENTOR ROBERT C. CR/SAF/ UNIT DOSAGE PACKAGE BACKGROUND This invention relates to a package of plural articles in a storage carton from which the articles are withdrawn with relative ease. In particular, it provides a carton having a narrow opening along a side corner which resiliently flares open for ready'removal of individual articles without otherwise opening the carton.

The invention is particularly suited for providing a unit dosage package in which the carton holds containers, each of which stores a single dose of orally administered liquid medication. Such a package can advantageously be used to supply hospitals and other medical care facilities with medication that is administered orally.- The individually-contained dosages can be administered in the containers directly upon removal from the package. The packaging of medication in this form by the manufacturer is more costly than packaging in bulk as currently done, but it yields far greater benefits in terms of saving time and avoiding errors on the part of personnel such as hospital pharmacists and nurses. That is, the current practice of preparing individual dosages of oral medication in a hospital consumes excessive time. Further, this current practice has significant possibilities for'error in preparing and administering dosages and there is a significant likelihood of the medication being spilled or becoming contaminated.

' A unit dosage package for answering these problems must meetmany requirements. One is toprovide sure containment of the medication without appreciable evaporation or contamination, with secure protection from damage to the container during shipping, storage and like handling, and yet in a manner for ready delivery to the patient for administration directly from the the unit dosage container. Also, a carton should be provided for storing the unit dosage containers for safe GENERAL DESCRIPTION A unit dosage package embodying the invention has a storage and dispensing carton that stores containers of unit dosages of oral medication ordered in a stack. Resiliently pliable panels of the carton form at least a side corner of the carton extending along the stack. The container is cut open along this corner with a slot that normally has a width which is narrow relative to the width of the container, except at a short window cut further into the carton panels at each side of the slot.

The user removes a container from the carton simply by grasping it through the window and pulling it out through the slot. The carton panels yield apart, opening the slot, as the container is pulled out so that the container can pass through the slot without tearing or permanently deforming the carton panels. The window is preferably formed at one end of the slot and the slot preferably extends along the carton so that it exposes only the innermost end of the container at each end of the stack.

Each container preferably has a tab-like protrusion disposed at the slotted corner of the carton and which can be grasped through the slot both to move the container along the stacking direction to be adjacent the window and to pull the container out of the carton at the window.

Although the invention is described with particular reference to a unit dosage package, the features of the invention are not limited to this use. Rather, they are applicable to storing and dispensing packages for multiple articles in general.

The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangements of parts exemplified in the constructions transport and storage, but from which each container can be removed with ease at the point of use. 7

Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide a package having a carton that securely houses individual articles but allows ready dispensing removal of each one.

Another object of the invention is to provide a unit medication dosage package having individual unit dosage containers in a storing and dispensing carton.

A further object of the invention is to provide a unit dosage package of the above character in which each container maintains the medication or other contents in a high state of purity and integrity and yet from which the contents can be orally consumed with convenience.

Another object is to provide such a container that can be dispensed readily by a simple manual engagement..

It is also an object of the invention to provide a carton for a unit dosage or like package which both securely holds and protects the contained articles and yet from which the articles are readily withdrawn by a simple manual engagement.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

hereinafter set forth, and the claims indicate the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the followin'g detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a package embodying features of the invention and including a pair of conjoined cartons each of which carries a stack of unit dosage containers;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a unit dosage container for packaging in the carton of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a blank for forming the conjoined cartons of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first pair of conjoined cartons as in FIG. I joined with a second pair thereof and further showing a sleeve with which-the quad of cartons can be enclosed for shipping and storage in accordance with the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS 22 that conforms to this carton corner and hence protrudes from the carton at the slot cut-a-way.

The carton panels forming the slotted corner, such as panels 24 and 26 of carton 14, are resiliently pliable and normally maintain a flat shape as shown for carton 14. This maintains the slot 18 in a normal condition with a width too narrow to pass a container 16. Hence, in the normal condition shown for carton 14, it securely holds the unit dosage containers l6 stacked therein, as is desired during transit, storage and other handling of the package 10.

However, as shown for the carton 12, the user easily removes the container 16b which is adjacent a short, slot-widening window 28 by pulling the container outward, in the direction of arrow 30, by its tab 22. The enlarged slot width at the window 28 allows the carton panels 32 and 34 that form the corner slot to yield and flare outwardly as the container is withdrawn. This allows the container to pass out through the slot without tearing or permanently deforming the carton panels. The panels 32 and 34 resume their normal configuration, as shown for the carton 14, as soon as a container is removed in this manner, so that no other containers fall out of the carton, and the carton continues to hold the remaining containers as securely as before.

In the illustrated package where the window 28 is adjacent the tab 22 on the next to the top container 16b in each carton 12, after that container is removed the top-most container 16a stacked above it in the carton drops down to replace it. After this formerly top-most container is removed from the carton, the remaining containers 16c, 16d and 162 are removed in succession by first sliding them up within the carton, simply by manual grasping of the lid tab 22, to adjacent the window 28 and then withdrawing them through the slot with the lid cover at the height of the slot window FIG. 2 shows the details of the container 16 in the illustrated FIG. 1 package 10. The container has-a cup like vessel 33 having frusto-conical side walls 35 intregal with a flat bottom 36 and with a rolled upper edge 38. The lid 20 is sealed to this edge 38. The lid, illustratively of stiff paper board with an inner foil barrier, has a circular periphery slightly larger than the vessel edge 38, except for the still-larger and protruding square-cornered tab 22 that conforms to the square contour of the carton corner 19 that is cut away with the slot 18, FIG. 1.

This construction of the container 16 has been found to provide the requisite secure containment and preservation of the container contents, even liquid oral medications. It also provides the requisite strength and rigidity for containment in the illustrated carton 12, 14 stacked with other like containers and for ready removal through the slot 18 with the lid 20 passing through the slot-enlarging window 28. Also, container tab 22 is thus seen to serve several functions; namely, for pulling the container out from the carton in which it is stacked, and for sliding the container upward within the carton to dispose it adjacent the slot window 28. The tab serves further to facilitate peeling the lid 20 from the container vessel 33, for opening the container.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the illustrated carton 12 has a normal upright position as shown and has four upstanding basically rectangular panels 32, 34, 40

and 42 forming a tube-like enclosure with a square cross section in the horizontal plane. A top panel 44 and a similar bottom panel 45 close the enclosure ends. The side corner 19 in which the slot 18 is cut thus has a square contour conforming to the contour of the container tab 22. The slot 18 extends along the corner 19 downward to just below the lid of the lowermost container 16c and upward in the window 28 to slightly above the bottom of the uppermost container 16a. The normal width of the slot 18, as measured between the slot-forming edges of the panels 24 and 26 of the carton 14, is significantly less than the width of either carton side panel 24 or 26 and less than the smallest lateral dimension of the container 16. The normal width ofthe illustrated slot 18 is roughly a third to a' fourth of the width of one carton side panel.

The slot 18 preferably extends along the carton for the length illustrated to allow access to all the con tainers stacked therein. However it does not extend further for this would weaken the upper and lower edge corners, such as the top edge comer 46 of container 12 where the side corner 19 meets with. the carton top panel 44. Instead, the unslotted length of corner 19 extending from each carton end corner, e.g., corner 46, to the slot 18 maintains the carton nearly as rigid as it would be if the entire length of the corner 19 were unslotted, i.e., if the carton had no slot 18 or window 28.

With further reference to the illustrated carton 12 of the container 10 (which is identical to the carton 14), the window 28 is located adjacent the lid 20 of the container 16b that is next to the uppermost container stacked therein. This provides the rigid carton end corner 46 discussed above. Further, the window preferably is not located further down on the carton to avoid having a large weight of containers drop down within the carton when the container at the window is removed. Also, illustrated window 28 recesses each side of the slot 18 with a wedge-like opening having a lower edge 28a (see carton 14) inclined slightly upward from the edges of slot 18 and having an upper edge 28b that slopes downward from the unslotted side corner 19 more sharply than edge 28a. The width of the window, between the two intersections of edges 28a and 28b, is nearly the same as the inside width of each container 16. Hence, the container 16 can pass out through the window with, at most, a slight interference that does not permanently damage the carton panels bounding the slot and window. Further, as shown in FIG. 1 for the carton 12 and as described above, these panels flare outward to open the slot 18 adjacent the window 28 lower edges 28a when a container is pulled out from the carton.

A further feature of the package 10 as shown in FIG. 1 is that the square-cornered tab 22 on each container 16 engages the slot-forming carton panels, such as panels 32 and 34 on carton 12, and this engagement holds each container from turning within the carton. Thus, the engagement of the container tab with the carton side panels holds each container oriented with the tab disposed at the carton side corner 19 and hence centered in the slot 18 where the user can readily manually engage the tab. Considered more broadly, the carton can hold the container tabs at the slotted corner 19 so long as the comer-forming panels, e.g., 32 and 34, form the corner with a contour sharper than circular.

The illustrated cartons 12 and 14 are joined together between the contiguous side panels 34 and 24, between the contiguous top panels 44 and 48, and between the contiguous bottom panels 45 and 43. Further, the seam 52 between the cartons along these panels is perforated so that the cartons can be separated from each other. The manner in which the two cartons are formed in this conjoined manner and yet to have independent structural rigidity when separated from each other will now be described with further reference to FIG. 3, which shows a single paperboard blank 50 for forming the two conjoined cartons l2 and 14 of FIG. 1.

The blank 50 has the side panels of cartons 12 and 14 conjoined in a side-by-side arrangement ordered, from left to right in FIG. '3, with panels 47, 49, 26 and 24 of carton 14, and panels 34, 32, 40 and 42 of carton 12. Side panel 24 carries the carton 14 top panel 48 and bottom panel 43, and the adjoining carton 12 side panel 34 carries top panel 44 joined with panel 48 and carries bottom panel 45 joined with panel 43. The perforated seam 52 is shown between the panels 48, 24 and 43 of carton l4 and the corresponding panels 44, 34 and 45 of carton 12; these junctures are the only connections between the two cartons l2 and 14.

This seam 52 and the junctures between the other panels are creased for folding a right angle bend in assembling the blank into the conjoined carton pair of FIG. 1.

In addition to these panels, the two-carton blank 50 has the following tabs, each joined to one of the foregoing panels with a creased juncture. A side tab 54 extends along the length of panel 47, a bottom tab 56 and a top tab 58 are joined to the bottom and top edges respectively of this panel 47, bottom and top tabs 60 and 62 are joined to side panel 26, and further bottom and top tabs 64 and 66 extending respectively from the bottom panel 43 and top panel 48. The foregoing tabs form parts of carton 14. Blank 50 carries an identical arrangement of tabs for forming the carton 12; namely, a bottom tab 68 on panel 45 and a top tab'70 on top panel 44, tabs 72 and 74 at either end of side panel 32, and bottom tab 76, top tab 78 and side tab 80 on side panel 42.

The slot 18 and window 28 for each carton l2, 14 are cut from the blank 50 as shown. A planar projection of the outline of the illustrated resulting cutout in each pair of side panels 32 34 and 24 26, i.e., the projection seen when these two paired panels lay flat in the same plane, is similar to a barbed arrow. The two window edges 28b, 28b form the frontal edges of the arrow-like configuration and the other two window edges 28a, 28a form the trailing barbed edges of the arrow. Further, the sides of the slot form the shank of the arrow.

The blank 50 is assembled in the following manner. Panels 34, 32, 40 and 42 are folded together in the direction indicated with arrow 79 and tab 80 is glued or otherwise bonded to the inner surface of panel 34 to secure the panels 42 and 34 together with a square corner between them. This forms the panels 34, 32, 40 and 42 into the tubular enclosure of carton 12. The bottom tabs 72 and 76 are folded inward with square corners and the bottom panel 45 is folded up below them and secured to the undersides of these tabs 72 and 76, and the tab 68 thereon is secured to the panel 40. Similarly, the top panel 44 is folded down over and bonded to the tabs 74 and 78 and the tab on this panel 44 is bonded to panel 40. This completes the assembly of carton 12. The carton 14 is assembled in the identical manner.

FIG. 3 also shows the blank 50 with the carton 12 side panel 40 having a semi-circularcut 82 depending from a diametrical crease 84 to define a depending semi-circular tab 86. The panel 40 also is cut with a short slit 88 extending down from the cut 82. Similarly, the carton 14 side panel 49 has a semi-circular cut 90 and a diametrical crease 94 defining an upwardly extending semi-circular tab 96, and has a slit 92 extending upward from out 90.

As shown in FIG.-4, these tabs 86 and 96 on the cartons 12 and 14 can be interlocked with a mating set of tabs 98 and 100 on a further pair of conjoined cartons 102 and 104 respectively to form a quad 106 of four cartons. The slits 88 and 92 facilitate engaging the tabs 98 and 100 with the tabs 86 and 96, respectively. As further shown in FIG. 4, a sleeve 108 is preferably slidingly fitted over the carton quad 106 to lock them together and form a strong and relatively crush proof package with four stacks of the containers 16 of FIGS. 1 and 2 secured therein.

It will thus be seen that the invention described above provides a secure package for storing and dispensing articles and in particular provides a unit dosage package for orally administered medications and the like. The four-unit package shown in FIG. 4 holds four stacks of the articles with each stack accessible for ready removal of the articles therein from the package. A pair of these units, i.e., the FIG. 1 package 10 with conjoined cartons 12 and 14 is readily removable from the quad configuration. Moreover, the package can be further broken down, and still provide a secure subpackage with a single carton containing a stack of articles, by separating the conjoined cartons along the three-sided perforated seam joining them, i.e., the seam 52 shown in FIG. 3. I

It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those made apparent from the preceeding description, are efficiently obtained. Further, since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the scope of this invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or contained in the accompanying drawings-shall be interpreted as illustrative, rather than in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to .cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

' Having described the invention, what is claimed as 1 new and secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An article storing and dispensing package comprising 1 having stiffly and resiliently pliable panel means forming an enclosure for holding a plurality of said articles ordered in a stack along said first direction with the height of each article aligned along said first direction,

2. having a side corner formed by said panel means and extending along said first direction,

3. having a slot in said panel means at said corner and extending along said first direction with a width transverse thereto,

4. having a window recessing said corner-forming panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said article width and for a length along said first direction less than said article height, and

5. said slot extending along said first direction for a distance, including said height of said window, greater than said article height.

2. A package as defined in claim 1 in which A. said article tab means has a non-circular periphery protruding beyond said article width,

and

B. said carton panel means form said corner with a non-circular contour and engage the periphery of said tab means for holding said tab means aligned in said corner positioned for access from without said enclosure through said slot.

3. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said carton has said window at one end of said slot.

4. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said carton has said slot extending to adjacent the tab means on the article at one end of said stack thereof and has said window at the end of said slot remote from said article at said one end of said stack.

5. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said carton is arranged for normal disposition with said first direction oriented vertically and has said slot extending upward from adjacent the tab means on the lowermost article therein to said window.

6. A package as defined in claim 5 further characterized in that said window is disposed adjacent said tab means on the next to the uppermost article in said stack.

7. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said article is a container of liquid with parallel and planar ends spaced apart along said height thereof.

8. A package as defined in claim 2 in which said article is a container having a lid sealing the container top closed and in which said lid forms said tab means.

9. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said article comprises a cup-like vessel having a lid sealing the top closed and having a projection on said lid forming said tab means.

10. A package as defined in claim 1 in which A. said window is located on said carton along said first direction adjacent said tab means on one article in said stack thereof, and

B. said slot extends from said slot to adjacent the tab means on another article in said stack thereof.

1 1. An article storing and dispensing carton comprising A. panel means forming an article-holding enclosure extending along a first direction for storing articles ordered in a stack along said first direction, at least a part of said panel means extending along said first direction being stiffly and resiliently pliable,

B. a side corner formed by said pliable panel means on said enclosure and extending along said first direction,

C. a slot in said pliable panel means at said corner and extending therealong with a normal width', transverse to said first direction, significantly less than the r'ninimum width of said enclosure transverse to said first direction, and

D. window means recessing said pliable panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said minimum enclosure width and for a length along said direction significantly less than said minimum enclosure width,

E. said carton pliable panel means normally maintaining said slot with said normal width and yielding outwardly relative to said enclosure to enlarge said slot width adjacent said window upon an article being pulled thereat out from said enclosure to allow the article to pass outward from said enclosure through said slot without permanently deforming said panel means.

12. A carton as defined in claim 1 in which A. said panel means includes a tubular portion having ends spaced apart along said first direction and including said slotted side corner and includes closure means closing said tubular portion at both said ends thereof, and

B. said tubular portion of said panel means is unslotted for a length along said side corner from each end thereof for a distance of at least said normal width of said slot.

13. A carton as defined in claim 11 in which said window is at one end of said slot.

14. A carton as defined in claim 11 in which said pliable panel means forms said corner with a contour sharper than a circular contour.

15. A carton as defined in claim 12 in which said window is spaced along said first direction from one end of said tubular portion by at least said normal slot width and said slot extends therefrom to not less than said normal slot width from the other end of said tubular portion.

16. A carton as defined in claim 12 in which the cross-section of said tubular portion is a parallelepiped.

17. An article storing and dispensing package comprising A. a plurality of substantially uniformly-shaped articles each of which normally has a first height and a first width, and

B. a carton 1. having stiffly and resiliently pliable panel means forming an enclosure for holding a plurality of said articles ordered in a stack along a first direction with the height of each article aligned along said first direction,

2. having a side corner formed by said panel means and extending along said first direction,

3. having a slot in said panel means at said corner and extending along said first direction with a width transverse thereto and normally smaller than said first height and than said first width,

and

4. having a window recessing said corner-forming panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said first width and for a length along said first direction less than said first height;

9 10 C. said slot extending along said first direction for a on said enclosure and extending along said first distance, including said height of said window, direction, I

C. a slot in said pliable panel means to said corner and extending therealong with a normal width, transverse to said first direction, not greater than greater than said first height, and D. said pliable panel means normally maintaining said slot with said normal width and yielding outwardly relative to said enclosure to enlarge said slot width adjacent said window upon an article being pulled thereat out from said enclosure to allow the article to pass outward from said enclosure through said slot without permanently deforming said panel means.

said first width of said enclosure, and

D. window means recessing said pliable panel means 18. An article storing and dispensing carton comprising I A. panel means forming an article-holding enclosure extending along a first direction for storing articles ordered in a stack along said first direction, at least a part of said panel means extending along said first direction being stiffly and resiliently pliable, said enclosure having an interior first width as measured transverse to said first direction,

B. a side corner formed by said pliable panel means E. said carton pliable panel means normally maintaining said slot with said normal width and yielding outwardly relative to said enclosure to enlarge said slot width adjacent said window upon an article being pulled thereat out from said enclosure to allow the article to pass outward from said enclosure through said slot without permanently deforming said panel means.

Fo-w 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (5/ CERTIFICATE O CORRECTION I Patent No. 3,684,128 D ated I Auguf t 15 1972 Inventor(s) Robert C. Ctis'afi It is certified that error appears in the ebove identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 4, line 45, after "each" insert --carton which dimension corresponds to the largest width, of

each--.

Signed and sealed this 17th day of April 1973.,

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M. FLETQHERJR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attestlng Officer Commissioner of Patents 

1. An article storing and dispensing package comprising A. a plurality of substantially uniform articles, each of which has manually accessible tab means for moving the article at least transverse to a first direction along which the height of the article is normally oriented, and each of which has, exclusive of said tab means, a substantially rigid shape with a maximum height and a maximum width, B. a carton
 1. having stiffly and resiliently pliable panel means forming an enclosure for holding a plurality of said articles ordered in a stack along said first direction with the height of each article aligned along said first direction,
 2. having a side corner formed by said panel means and extending along said first direction,
 3. having a slot in said panel means at said corner and extending along said first direction with a width transverse thereto,
 4. having a window recessing said corner-forming panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said article width and for a length along said first direction less than said article height, and
 5. said slot extending along said first direction for a distance, including said height of said window, greater than said article height.
 2. having a side corner formed by said panel means and extending along said first direction,
 2. having a side corner formed by said panel means and extending along said first direction,
 2. A package as defined in claim 1 in which A. said article tab means has a non-circular periphery protruding beyond said article width, and B. said carton panel means form said corner with a non-circular contour and engage the periphery of said tab means for holding said tab means aligned in said corner positioned for access from without said enclosure through said slot.
 3. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said carton has said window at one end of said slot.
 3. having a slot in said panel means at said corner and extending along said first direction with a width transverse thereto and normally smaller than said first height and than said first width, and
 3. having a slot in said panel means at said corner and extending along said first direction with a width transverse thereto,
 4. having a window recessing said corner-forming panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said article width and for a length along said first direction less than said article height, and
 4. having a window recessing said corner-forming panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said first width and for a length along said first direction less than said first height; C. said slot extending along said first direction for a distance, including said height of said window, greater than said first height, and D. said pliable panel means normally maintaining said slot with said normal width and yielding outwardly relative to said enclosure to enlarge said slot width adjacent said window upon an article being pulled thereat out from said enclosure to allow the article to pass outward from said enclosure through said slot without permanently deforming said panel means.
 4. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said carton has said slot extending to adjacent the tab means on the article at one end of said stack thereof and has said window at the end of said slot remote from said article at said one end of said stack.
 5. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said carton is arranged for normal disposition with said first direction oriented vertically and has said slot extending upward from adjacent the tab means on the lowermost article therein to said window.
 5. said slot extending along said first direction for a distance, including said height of said window, greater than said article height.
 6. A package as defined in claim 5 further characterized in that said window is disposed adjacent said tab means on the next to the uppermost article in said stack.
 7. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said article is a container of liquid with parallel and planar ends spaced apart along said height thereof.
 8. A package as defined in claim 2 in which said article is a container having a lid sealing the container top closed and in which said lid forms said tab means.
 9. A package as defined in claim 1 in which said article comprises a cup-like vessel having a lid sealing the top closed and having a projection on said lid forming said tab means.
 10. A package as defined in claim 1 in which A. said window is located on said carton along said first direction adjacent said tab means on one article in said stack thereof, and B. said slot extends from said slot to adjacent the tab means on another article in said stack thereof.
 11. An article storing and dispensing carton comprising A. panel means forming an article-holding enclosure extending along a first direction for storing articles ordered in a stack along said first direction, at least a part of said panel means extending along said first direction being stiffly and resiliently pliable, B. a side corner formed by said pliable panel means on said enclosure and extEnding along said first direction, C. a slot in said pliable panel means at said corner and extending therealong with a normal width, transverse to said first direction, significantly less than the minimum width of said enclosure transverse to said first direction, and D. window means recessing said pliable panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said minimum enclosure width and for a length along said direction significantly less than said minimum enclosure width, E. said carton pliable panel means normally maintaining said slot with said normal width and yielding outwardly relative to said enclosure to enlarge said slot width adjacent said window upon an article being pulled thereat out from said enclosure to allow the article to pass outward from said enclosure through said slot without permanently deforming said panel means.
 12. A carton as defined in claim 11 in which A. said panel means includes a tubular portion having ends spaced apart along said first direction and including said slotted side corner and includes closure means closing said tubular portion at both said ends thereof, and B. said tubular portion of said panel means is unslotted for a length along said side corner from each end thereof for a distance of at least said normal width of said slot.
 13. A carton as defined in claim 11 in which said window is at one end of said slot.
 14. A carton as defined in claim 11 in which said pliable panel means forms said corner with a contour sharper than a circular contour.
 15. A carton as defined in claim 12 in which said window is spaced along said first direction from one end of said tubular portion by at least said normal slot width and said slot extends therefrom to not less than said normal slot width from the other end of said tubular portion.
 16. A carton as defined in claim 12 in which the cross-section of said tubular portion is a parallelepiped.
 17. An article storing and dispensing package comprising A. a plurality of substantially uniformly-shaped articles each of which normally has a first height and a first width, and B. a carton
 18. An article storing and dispensing carton comprising A. panel means forming an article-holding enclosure extending along a first direction for storing articles ordered in a stack along said first direction, at least a part of said panel means extending along said first direction being stiffly and resiliently pliable, said enclosure having an interior first width as measured transverse to said first direction, B. a side corner formed by said pliable panel means on said enclosure and extending along saiD first direction, C. a slot in said pliable panel means to said corner and extending therealong with a normal width, transverse to said first direction, not greater than said first width of said enclosure, and D. window means recessing said pliable panel means on both sides of said slot and enlarging the width of said slot to at least close to said first width and for a length along said direction significantly less than said minimum enclosure width, E. said carton pliable panel means normally maintaining said slot with said normal width and yielding outwardly relative to said enclosure to enlarge said slot width adjacent said window upon an article being pulled thereat out from said enclosure to allow the article to pass outward from said enclosure through said slot without permanently deforming said panel means. 